Ludington in Mason County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Mason County
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Mason County Courthouse
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 2016
1. Mason County Marker (Side A)
Mason County
The first permanent Euro-American settlement in Mason County began in 1847 when New York native Burr Caswell and his family arrived at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River. The Caswells lived in a driftwood cabin near the Ottawa village of Nindebekantunning. Abundant pine forests attracted lumbermen including Charles Mears, James Ludington, and Eber Brock Ward. In 1855 the state legislature organized Mason County, named for Michigans first governor, Stevens T. Mason. The Caswell farmhouse in Pere Marquette Township served as the county seat. In 1860, Charles Mears persuaded the board to remove the county seat to Little Sauble (later Lincoln). But remote Little Sauble could not compete with booming Ludington. In 1873, Ludington became the permanent county seat.
Mason County Courthouse
Ludington became the Mason county seat in 1873, when county offices were moved from the now-vanished village of Little Sauble. At that time, Ludington was the countys most prosperous settlement. Formerly called Pere Marquette, Ludington was platted in 1867 by Milwaukee lumberman James Ludington. The town served as a shipping center for West Michigan lumber. Erected in 1893-94, this is the fourth structure to serve as Mason Countys courthouse since the county was established in 1855. Grand Rapids
this page online
Erected 2000 by Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L0404.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Government & Politics • Political Subdivisions • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1847.
Location. 43° 57.324′ N, 86° 26.685′ W. Marker is in Ludington, Michigan, in Mason County. It is at the intersection of Ludington Avenue (U.S. 10) and Rowe Street, on the right when traveling east on Ludington Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 304 East Ludington Avenue, Ludington MI 49431, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Michigan and specifically in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mason County Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Swedish Lutheran Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); World War I Memorial (approx. half a mile away); S.S. Badger / Ludington Car Ferries (approx. half a mile away); S.S. Pere Marquette 18
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 2016
2. Mason County Courthouse Marker (Side B)
Also see . . .
1. Mason County, Michigan, Official Website. (Submitted on August 30, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Mason County Courthouse. The Mason County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. An excerpt from the Nomination Form:
The Mason County Courthouse is notable in the context of courthouse design in Michigan in the 1880-1910 period and in the context of the career and surviving buildings of its designer, Sidney J. Osgood, a very important Grand Rapids architect in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who designed at least four courthouses in the western Lower Peninsula of Michigan in that time period.... The Ludington courthouse is notable for the high design quality of its exterior, the use of the red Jacobsville Formation sandstone quarried near Houghton in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the carved stone and pressed metal detailing in the gable and above some of the arched(Submitted on July 24, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)windows, and its well preserved interior finish.Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 20163. Mason County / Mason County Courthouse MarkerCourthouse in background
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 2016
4. Mason County Courthouse
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 2016
5. Mason County Courthouse
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 2016
6. Mason County Courthouse
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 23, 2016
7. Mason County Courthouse Cornerstone
Credits. This page was last revised on July 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 834 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 30, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
